Don't touch, don't eat: Pregnant woman made to pose with food on Nutrition Day event in Bengal

At a government event in Santipur in Bengal's Nadia district on the occasion of Supushti Divas (Nutrition Day) on Friday, pregnant women were made to pose before an opulent platter of food for a photo opportunity before being shoved away with cheap food parcels once the photos were taken. In what can only be termed ironic, the event was held to promote nutritional awareness among pregnant mothers, according to a Telegraph report.

The report details how the 20-odd pregnant women who had attended the event were treated 'humiliatingly'. They were asked to line up and pose, one by one, before the plate containing an entire meal -- including rice, dal, vegetables, egg curry, and a dessert. However, when they tried to touch the food, the women were rebuked since, the organisers clarified, the meal was only 'for demonstration'.

They were later handed out egg and rice food parcels and sent back home.

The issue, according to the report, came up once Biswajit Sandhukhan, the husband of one of the women present at the event, lodged an FIR with the Santipur police station regarding the 'inhuman' treatment that his wife, Moumita Sandhukhan, and the other women had had to face.  

"Following the officials' behaviour, I did not even accept the parcel,' the Telegraph quoted the 25-year-old Moumita, who is presently seven-months pregnant.

After the Sandhukhans' complaint, several other women also reportedly came forward with the same charges, alleging 'humiliation' at the event.

The event, at Vidyasagar Vidyapith in the region, was held under the banner of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) which held several such programmes on the day across the state, aimed at alleviating malnutrition among pregnant women and children.

The day itself is celebrated by offering government-sponsored lunches at local Anganwadi centres on the fourth Friday of every month to women who are expecting or have just become mothers. It was launched in the city by State women and child development minister Shashi Panja.

After the complaint, the ICDS officials have ordered an investigation into the accusations. Already, a number of narratives have reportedly emerged. According to the ICDS worker who had served the food, Sandhukhan was not allowed to touch it fearing she might have a 'health condition'.

Senior officials at the ICDS have blamed the mistreatment on the local ICDS workers, as accountability got lost in the chain of command. However, State Minister Shashi Panja has promised to personally look into the event and find out the reason behind the alleged mistreatment.